1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the control of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), and particularly to the control of MEMS based optical switching elements, and more particular to the distributive control of MEMS based optical switching mirrors.
2. Background
MEMS includes micro-electro-mechanical devices that are fabricated by “micromachining,” which involves carving a device out of a silicon wafer or other materials such as a slide of polymer or quartz or metal, using topography based semiconductor manufacturing techniques (e.g., lithography, deposition, chemical and/or plasma etching, etc. processes.) MEMS based devices find application in many fields. For example, MEMS based optical switches move tiny mirrors to route light signals carrying data from any one of the input fibers to any one of the output fibers without converting the light signals into electrical signals. In a fiber optic network, the tiny mirrors can be positioned to block or pass incoming light beam conveyed via individual strands of optical fiber to receivers (e.g., receiving fibers.) Or alternatively, the mirrors can be pivoted to direct the incoming light beams at a desired angle to receivers.